Saturday, March 14, 2009

Magdeburg Water Bridge

Ships usually sail under bridges - here, however, they sail over one! The Magdeburg Canal Bridge, sometimes referred to as the Magdeburg Water Bridge connects the Mittellandkanal and Elbe-Havel-Kanal waterways, traversing the River Elbe in the process. The bridge can carry trains of barges propelled from the rear by high-power tugs (so-called "push-tows"), and large inland cargo vessels. All this is made possible by a gigantic steel trough. Completed in December 2003, the bridge is 918 meters long and has been modestly described as "a giant, kilometer-long concrete bathtub."

Minden canal bridge

Central buildings of the Wasserstraßenkreuzes Minden are the old Trogbrücke and the parallel new Trogbrücke. Both lead the Midland Canal over the Weser. With the 83 m long lock and the new canal bridge that was taken into service also in 1998. The usual traffic only uses the new bridge. The 370 m long bridge is the second largest in Europe.